Explosions, explosions: Summer Movie Preview 2009

By Nathan Peake
Western Herald

“X‑Men Origins: Wolverine” (May 1)
Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine with Gavin Hood  (“Rendition”) directing. It takes place 17 years before the first X‑Men movie and the plot will be centered around Wolverine’s discovery of his mutant abilities and his involvement with the corrupt government funded program Weapon X. You can expect a lot of big explosions, some good one‑liners and Wolverine kicking the crap out of anything that gets in his way. It will definitely be a great movie to kick off the summer season.

“Star Trek” (May
J.J. Abrams is releasing his latest project this summer and, lucky for all Star Trek fans, the man is “boldly going where no man as gone before.” If you’ve seen the trailer, you already know how epic this movie really looks.  If you go opening night, you’re guaranteed to see a flock of Klingons.

“Angels and Demons” (May 15)
Tom Hanks is back as Dr. Robert Langdon in a prequel to “the Da Vinci Code.” Most people who’ve read the books consider “Angels and Demons” to be the better of the two, so this one should be better, too. Maybe. In “Angels and Demons” Dr. Langdon tries to stop a secret society from destroying the Vatican. Sounds cool, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be going to see Star Trek again instead of this one.

“Terminator: Salvation” (May 21)
We’ve all heard Christian Bale’s on‑set outburst. It was all over the Internet and on an episode of “Family Guy.” If the movie is half as intense as the sound clip, we’re in for one hell of a ride. “Terminator” takes place in a post‑apocalyptic world with John Connor (Bale) leading the resistance against Skynet, the company responsible for the world’s destruction.

“Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” (May 22)
Ben Stiller will be chased down long corridors by wild animals and historical figures in this family friendly comedy. This sequel should be every bit as rousing as the first, with the return of the entire original cast, including the likes of Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan. If you have kids or little siblings, this will be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

“Up” (May 29)
Pixar, the fine people who brought us “Toy Story” are now giving us an old man who ties his house to a bunch of balloons and floats away from the big city, with a young boy scout in tow. For this one, I’m thinking you can take the same advice mentioned above.

“Land of the Lost” (June 5)
Will Ferrell. Danny McBride. Dinosaurs. Need I say more?

“The Taking of Pelham 123” (June 12)
Director Tony Scott (“Man on Fire”) is doing a remake of a ’70s crime thriller, and he’s doing it with an all star cast. It’ll be Denzel Washington, playing a familiar cynical police officer role, versus John Travolta, the wicked train hijacker (who also rocks a ridiculous handlebar mustache). It should be a pretty intense thriller.

“Year One” (June 19)
Jack Black, Michael Cera and McLovin star in this funny journey to the beginnings of time. Obviously, the movie takes place in the year one. Black and Cera are cavemen banished from their villages who set out on an epic quest through the ancient world. It’s nice to see Cera break away from the nerdy boy role, but who knows? Maybe neanderthals can be nerdy guys who get the girl, too.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 26)
Explosions. Machines that can talk. Explosions. Megan Fox wearing next to nothing. Explosions. Optimus Prime. Explosions.

“Public Enemies” (July 1)
Johnny Depp and Christian Bale play opposite each other in this highly anticiapted crime thriller. Depp plays John Dillinger, while Bale portrays the crafty cop on his tale. With Michael Mann (“Heat”) directing, audiences should be in for a gripping story laced with gangsters, gunfire and greed. I shouldn’t even have to tell you to go see this movie. You made up your mind when you read the first sentence.

“Bruno” (July 10)
If you thought “Borat” was edgy, wait until you see Sacha Baron Cohen’s next project. In a faux-documentarysimilar style to “Borat,” “Bruno” follows the life of a gay German fashionista named Bruno (Cohen), who is even more in your face than Borat. Expect raunchy jokes, downright dirty humor and gut busting laughs. Cohen is known for his eccentric work and this film should be no exception.

“Inglourious Basterds” (Aug. 21)
Tarantino returns to the silver screen with Brad Pitt leading a platoon of soldiers invading Nazi‑occupied France for a ruthless gore‑fest. Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) leads his group of Jewish‑American soldiers, called “the Basterds,” into France to do one thing and one thing only: kill Nazis.
So far the only trailer is a short teaser with a catchy monologue from Aldo Raine played with brutal pictures of the Basterds torturing Nazis. What can I say? It’s Tarantino.
This movie is not for those with weak stomachs. All in all, this movie should help the summer end with a big bang.

Enjoy the movies and don’t forget to go outside once in a while.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Apr 20 2009. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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